Chapter 26: Thanks for the Reminder
After Ichimaru Gin left, Hinamori Momo fell to her knees with a thud. Su Xiao approached the area below "Aizen's corpse." Though he didn't show any grief, he ignored everyone around him.
A young man with white hair emerged from a nearby alley. He first comforted Hinamori Momo, then came to Su Xiao's side.
The newcomer was Hitsugaya Toshiro. He had just arrived not long ago, and it was precisely because Toshiro was there that Su Xiao had stopped Hinamori Momo. With Toshiro present, it would be very difficult for Ichimaru Gin to kill Hinamori Momo.
"Thank you, Bai Ye."
Toshiro spoke in a low voice. He was thanking Su Xiao for stopping Hinamori Momo; otherwise, she might have died at Ichimaru Gin's hands.
"Oh."
Su Xiao still kept his head raised.
"Toshiro, look over there."
Su Xiao pointed at Aizen's corpse.
"This guy... is he dead?"
"..."
Toshiro sighed. He knew that Su Xiao and Aizen were close friends.
"It seems I won't be able to drink with him anymore when I slack off tonight."
"My condolences."
Toshiro's mouth opened and closed. After thinking for a long time, he could only utter these two words. In his view, any more words of comfort would be hollow and powerless.
Bubu Wang crouched beside Su Xiao. He, of course, understood the current situation and silently marveled at Su Xiao's explosive acting skills.
Before long, captains arrived one after another. Unohana Retsu was the first to appear, followed by Soi Fon, Kyoraku Shunsui, and others. By the time Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni arrived, most of the captains had gathered.
"Head Captain, it has been confirmed. Captain Aizen is likely..."
Unohana Retsu didn't finish her sentence. Yamamoto simply nodded. Having lived for so long, he had weathered countless storms.
'Aizen' naturally couldn't remain pinned up there on display forever, and maintaining his act was also tiring for Su Xiao.
Aizen's corpse was ultimately handed over to the Fourth Division for processing. The main tasks were to see if he could be saved and to verify the authenticity of the body—whether it was a fake created using prosthetic technology.
By noon that day, the crowd had gradually dispersed. The Seireitei had already been invaded by Ryoka, and Aizen's sudden death only heightened the tense atmosphere within.
The so-called Ryoka were essentially Kurosaki Ichigo and his group. Any soul or unverified Shinigami entering the Soul Society was collectively referred to as Ryoka.
Compared to the Ryoka invasion, the murder of Captain Aizen of the Fifth Division was a more troublesome issue. This put all divisions on high alert, with more Shinigami patrolling the streets.
Many suspected that Aizen's death was the work of Ichimaru Gin. However, as the captain of the Third Division, mere suspicion wasn't enough; evidence was required. As for the invading Ryoka, their suspicion was even smaller. Given Aizen's strength, the possibility of him dying silently at the hands of the Ryoka was very low.
Inside the First Division barracks, Su Xiao handed 100 Reishi orbs to a young man who looked quite timid. The young man's name was Yamada Hanataro, a member of the Fourth Division.
After Hanataro left, Su Xiao sat cross-legged at a wooden table. On the table were two flasks of sake. He gestured for Minami Suzume to leave as well.
Minami Suzume sighed and quietly walked out of the room. Besides taking care of Su Xiao's daily needs, she actually had another task: to monitor him.
Given that Su Xiao's close friend had just died, continuing to monitor him would seem rather heartless.
Although Su Xiao was residing in the First Division barracks, leaving wasn't difficult for him. He had noticed that the perception abilities of the Shinigami weren't particularly strong. Even Yamamoto's perception wasn't overwhelmingly powerful; otherwise, there would have been no need to send someone to monitor him.
"He died well."
Su Xiao stretched his muscles. Not making a move for nearly ten days felt strange to him. Tonight, he would give the Seireitei its first "surprise."
A stack of photos appeared in Su Xiao's hand. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled one out.
"You're the one."
Su Xiao stood up, and the Dragon-Slaying Flash appeared in his hand.
"Bubu, scout the nearby biological units and plan a route."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang pushed open the wooden sliding door and instantly vanished from Su Xiao's perception.
A moment later, Su Xiao walked out of the room, closing the sliding door behind him. It was worth noting that Yamamoto Genryusai himself lived in this wooden building.
When Su Xiao entered a short corridor, he suddenly leaped up, bracing his feet against the walls on either side.
"Did you hear? The captain of the Fifth Division is dead."
"Of course. Captain Aizen was such a good person, and he was murdered. Sigh~"
Several Shinigami entered the corridor. Chatting idly, they passed beneath Su Xiao. Once they were far away, Su Xiao dropped down, landing silently.
Of course, Su Xiao couldn't predict the future. Bubu Wang was scouting ahead, and whenever someone approached, Su Xiao would receive a message from Bubu Wang.
Bubu Wang had successfully entered the Soul Society, and Amu would arrive soon. In 29 hours, all contractors who hadn't yet entered the Soul Society would be forcibly teleported there. As a summoned creature, Amu could hitch a ride.
Su Xiao walked out of the First Division headquarters through the main gate. The streets were pitch black. It was nine in the evening. Compared to a few days earlier, the nights in the Seireitei were now quite lively—or rather, the Seireitei was under martial law.
After wandering around the Seireitei for a few circuits, Su Xiao reached its edge. Ahead lay the White Road Gate, guarded by Jidanbo. This was the same gate through which Su Xiao had entered the Seireitei.
As soon as Su Xiao entered the border area, stone walls descended from above. If he were an ordinary Shinigami, these Kido mechanisms wouldn't have been triggered. As a researcher, Su Xiao should not have triggered them either.
The current situation was quite interesting. Su Xiao had produced so many things for the Seireitei without compensation, yet when he tried to leave, the Kido mechanisms were triggered, causing walls made of Reishi-crushing stone to fall.
As the stone walls fell, the wooden door of a nearby house was pushed open. Jidanbo, whom Su Xiao had met once before, stepped out.
Jidanbo yawned, looking as if he had just woken up. The two axes at his waist were gone; presumably, they had been shattered by Kurosaki Ichigo.
Jidanbo initially thought a stray soul was approaching the Seireitei. But as soon as he stepped out of his house, he saw Su Xiao standing in front of the stone wall.
"Bai Ye?"
Jidanbo looked at Su Xiao with confusion.
"It's you. I heard from Toshiro that you've become a big shot in the Seireitei now. But you can't leave the Seireitei."
Jidanbo had clearly received orders—orders not to allow Su Xiao to leave the Seireitei area.
"Is that so? I was planning to retrieve some items from my former residence. Since I can't leave, forget it."
Su Xiao turned and walked back toward the Seireitei—or rather, he was moving closer to Jidanbo.
"You're going the wrong way. The First Division barracks are over there."
"Thanks for the reminder."
Su Xiao stood before Jidanbo, looking up at him. Jidanbo was nearly ten meters tall.
"You—"
Before Jidanbo could finish his sentence, a blade aura flashed.
Pfft!
Blood splattered. A massive head flew into the air.
With a thunderous crash, the nearly ten-meter-tall headless body collapsed to the ground. A thick cloud of dust rose, and gushing blood sprayed everywhere, filling the surroundings with the stench of blood.